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New blood

Well, we have a new baby in the family, and it’s kind of exciting, but in a weird way for me. I’m not generally a baby person, but when my mom couldn’t go and help Mrs. Birdman with the newborn shoot, I went along for support. You see it’s nice if she has someone to help set up the lights, backgrounds, etc… , that’s where I come in handy. Well, there are other places too, but that’s where right then. We went out, got things all set up and then I asked C where his new baby brother was. He took me out into the kitchen, to the car seat facing the patio doors, and there he was. Five days old, and sleeping.

I may be working my way into being a baby person.

I don’t know what it was, but I all of a sudden started smiling and thinking about how sweet and serene that kid looked. Nothing to worry about, except his next meal. Oh, and maybe how long the shit stays in his diapers. By now C had taken off to show me another cool thing that he had, and his mom had come in to get little L. She was glowing, of course. I imagine she will be for a while. I think it’s how girls are wired when babies are involved.

My brother looks tired, but still has more energy than I could muster up in a month. C got chicken pox the day the baby was born, so he ended up at D&D’s, while he got the baby and Mrs. Larry home from the hospital. He had jaundice, but apparently that’s not a big deal. What do I know, I wasn’t, until just recently, a baby person. Well it turned out that they had to go back to the hospital, and C came home, so Larry had to stay up with him all night putting calamine lotion on his chicken pox, and trying to keep them cool. Needless to say, there wasn’t much sleep around there for a few days.

I’m glad to say that everyone is home now, and they’re all doing fine. My sweet love took some nice photos of the baby and the rest of the family, while we collected a bunch of sap to boil down next weekend, and got to have a nice visit, which is something we neglect too often. You know, just hang out and do shit because life really is too short. We are getting older every day, and these visits mean more and more each day.

This brings me back to the baby. As I looked at the little fella, (9 lb, 11 oz, and 23″ long, maybe not so little), there was a rush of thoughts going through my head. Things like, what will he look like? Will he be as charming and funny as his dad, or sweet and smart like his mom? Will he be a part of the solution to the problems that we’re having on this earth? Will he love the outdoors, and ever want to get married and have kids of his own? These things were rushing through my mind, until long after he was whisked into the bedroom for what was to be the start of his modelling career.

I’m actually thinking of it now, and I still have a bunch of wondering going on inside of my coconut. We really have no idea who this boy will be when he grows up. We will hope he turns out to do great things, and we will surely try to steer him in the right direction as much as we can. He’s got some good people to guide him through this (sure to be fucked up) world, and he won’t be wanting for people to love him. Our family is pretty strong on love, and I’ve met his grandparents on his mother’s side, and there seems to be no shortage of it there either, so I think he’ll be covered pretty well in that department. I know that his dad and uncles will be there whenever he needs someone to talk to, even if it’s just to shoot the shit or get a bit of advice, and his mom and his aunts, will be there to make sure he has something to eat when he finally gets his license and is galavanting (hungry) around the countryside with his buddies.

One quarter of the gang.

L, we’ve all been in your shoes, and we all turned out okay. If I can offer you just one piece of advice to carry with you throughout your life, it would be to trust the people that love you the most. They aren’t there to hurt you, no matter how stupid you think they are, and no matter how much you think that you don’t need vegetables to live. If they tell you what they think is the right thing for you, it’s because they think it is, and there’s a damn good chance that they’re right. They’ve been through all of that shit before at one point, and they’ve learned from it. There isn’t one member of your family that isn’t as smart as a whip, and there isn’t one that would do anything to hurt you, so if your mom tells you that Dave is a bad influence, and is the leader of the Harwood bike gang, listen to her, and don’t hang around with that douchebag. He’s bad news, no matter how bad you want to fit in somewhere.

Make sure you learn about stinging nettle

When your Uncle Larry shows you how to weld up your bike, or catch a trout out of the creek, pay attention. You may not want to practice metallurgy or ever hurt an animal, but there may be a time when that knowledge will come in handy for you. Your Grandparents may want to tell you a story about when they were kids and all of the hardships they went through. Almost all of that is true, and there is also a lot that they aren’t telling you. It’s not going to hurt you to know that stuff either.

You may come to a point where you think you’ve got it tough, but you don’t know anything about tough yet. They lived through some times where they didn’t have anything, but they were grateful for what they did have. You should be too.

Last but not least, look after your brother whenever you can.You’re probably not going to get another one, so cherish the one you have. No matter how many times he beats you up, he’s your family, and if you ever see him in trouble, it’s your duty to help him. In forty years you are going to want to be walking through the woods with him and his kid, collecting maple sap, so you guys can make a batch of syrup next Saturday.

He’s going to make you do this. Try not to flip him out of spite.

But when tough little boys grow up into dads, they turn into babies again,